Lasting-machine



(No Model.) l 2 sheets-sheet.v 1. H. A. SMITH.

LAsTI-NG MACHINE.

No. 308,527. Patented Nov. Z5, 1884.

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LASTING MACHINE. No. 308,527. y Patented NOV. 25,1884.

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UiNrren Srlrras Pantani* reina HENRY AUGUSTUS SMITH, F LYNN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES WV. GALLOUPE, OF SVAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS.

, LAsTlNcV-MACHINE.

ESPECIFICATN forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,527, dated November 25, 1884.-.

Application filed February 18', 18S-1. (No model.)

.T0 all whom it 77mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY AUGUSTUS SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Lasting-Machines, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the 1o art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and 4to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication.

This invention relates to lasting machines,7 so called, in which a series of plates or fingers are adapted by suitable mechanism to wipe over the surface of the last as it rests bottom up, and draw the upper into close relaeo tion with the last, while at the same time the projecting portionA of the upper is pressed down upon the sole or bottom portion of said last.

This invention consists of a frame suitably 2 5 adjusted for holding a last, carrying two sets of plates acting in horizontal paths of movement, and capable of adjustment vertically by means of hand-screws or their equivalents. The lower series of plates are adapted to be moved )y 3o toward and brought to bear tightly against the last and upper before the lasting commences, thereby holding the latter securely in place, and resisting the` pulls and strains heretofore attendant upon the material in process of lasting as now conducted. I consider this the y primary point in my invention, as hitherto the material to be lasted has simply been kept in positionby the pressure of the last upon the elastic girth, so called; hence when the 4o lasting-fingers were put in' operation great strain was brought to bear upon the material, and cloth, thin kid, or other similar stock was very often split or materially injured.

My invention further consists in an elastic toe-cushion iirml y supported, for reasons hereinafter set forth, and the side lastingjaws, with the heel and toe wipers or lastcrs, the latter composed of a hinged pair of slotted plates so adapted that, as they are advanced 5o over upon the last, they shall converge and be gradually brought together, the individual jaws closing toward a common center.

vThe drawings accompanying this specication represent in Figure 1 a plan, and in Fig.

2 a vertical longitudinal section, of amaohine 55 containing my invention. Fig. 3 is a central cross-section thereof on line x w.

In the drawings, A represents a frame, and B the jack for carrying the last G, with its upper a. This frame is provided with four 6o bed-pieces, a fixed plate, D, and three adj ustable ones, E F Gf Upon these are cast or attach ed vertical standards b b, Sie. These standards carry plates c c c2 c3, the latter, c2 c,

(c3 being fixed,) acting as supports or rests for 65 the sliding istening-plates, to be hereinafter described, while the other plates, c c', are attached firmly to the standards of the plates E F, and capable of horizontal movement with respect to said plates toward or away from the 7o last C, as occasion requires. These clamping binding plates or jaws c e are in general shape a long rectangle extending almost the entire length of the last, while the inner edges are of a form very similar to the sides of the lat- 7 5 ter, that when said jaws are moved up they shall coincide with its contour near the bottom or sole portion thereof, and securely hold the upper at every point against thelast, and thereby resist any strain or pull which is after- So ward consequent upon the advance of the lasting-plates over upon the bottoni or sole.

To adjust the plates c o c`l c3 vertically with respect to various-sized lasts, I provide their supporting-posts b b, &c., with right and left screws d d, dre., hence movement of these in the proper direction will either lower or raise the posts and plates an amount varying with the size of last to be used.

Upon the binding-plates c c', I mount Inov- 9o able slotted lasting-plates c c, of a shape similar to the binding-plates, upon which they move, the under inner edges of both sets of plates being beveled or rounded off, the former, c c', that they may coincide with the 95 fullness of the side of the last where it joins the bottom, and thus securely hold the upper to the last, and the upper plates, e c, in order that as they pass over upon the sole of the last C the edges of the upper may be pressed roo down without being cut.

In each end of the plates ce', I insert guidescrews ff, Src., through the slots g g', formed in the lasting-plates c c at right angles to the 2 soaszv length of the last C. This permits of their l free movement when the operator requires it.

Upon the outer edge of the plates c c', I have formed lips hh', to which I have so pivoted at tt a pair of cams, ZZ', that their active portions wipe against the outside edges of the lasting-plates e e', the inactive portions or arms being pivoted atjj to hand bars or levers H H, to be operated by the attendant. The adjustment of parts is such that a movement of either lever I-I actuates the pair of cams to which it is pivoted in a similar manner, and thereby equal pressure is brought to bear upon both ends of its lasting-plate at the same moment, and the latter is moved up and over the last, wiping and pressing down that portion of the upper which is then in contact with it.

To withdraw the plates ce from over the last into their normal positions, I have attached them by links Zt 7c lo k', which are pivoted to the cams-Z Z', that when the attendant reverses the movement of the levers H H said plates withdraw and resume a position ready for a second lasting operation.

In Fig. l one of the side lasting-plates is shown in an active and the other in an inactive or normal position, and it will be seen that the cams Z i are so cut away as not to interfere with the withdrawal of the plates which they actuate.

The heel and toe lasting plates I I are each composed of a pair of plates, ZZ', of similar shape, conforming, generally, tothe contour of the heel and toe portions of the last which they act upon, as shown in Fig. I, and play upon the plates D G between guide-pins m m, &c., being actuated by the levers .I J. The latter is attached to the frame A, while the former, J, is pivoted to. the movable plate G, to allow of adjustment of thelatter for various lasts.

To actuate the parts Z Z of the plates above mentioned, I attach a hinge or pivot, n a, to said parts at points corresponding to the center ofthe heel and toe portions ofthe last, and I further form slots o o, 82e., with the outer portion, cut at an angle of fcrty-ve degrees, or thereabout, sufficient to give a proper wiping motion when lasting. Iattach the individual parts ZZ', the., by screw-studs u 'it to the plates D G at their inner ends; and to actuate said parts Z Z in reciprocating paths of movement I have united them with the levers J J by rods p p, &c. The portion of the fixed plate D adapted to receive the toe of thelast is provided with a rubber plate, K, upon which the toe end ofthe last rests when in position for lasting; hence in case the upper varies in thickness the last yields to the pressure of the lasting-plates as they advance inward, and the material composing the upper is not cut or injured,v as would otherwise be the case if the last were rigidly fixed and did not yield. For a similar purpose I have provided the jack which supports the heel portion of the last with an elastic cushion, K', or its equivalent.

To provide for lasts of various sizes I dis- ,pose bed-pieces E F G in guides q q, 85e., the

heel-piece G being moved up by hand after the last is in position, and held there by a setscrew. The plate c2 is movable therewith,cir

cular in shape upon its inner edge, and corresponds with the heel of the last, while its under portion is cut away and slightly rounded;

hence when this4 plate is moved up it servesas a clamping-plate similar to those on the sides c c, and does not cut or injure the upper in contact with it. The side plates, E F, are provided with single straps o' 1 or their equivalent, attached to the under sides of said plates, and passing through slots s s in the bed-piece over a friction-pulley; hence a movement of the latter will effect a forward movement of the plate to which it is attached, and the clamping-plates c c abut firmly against the upper upon the last; A proper return movement is to be effected by a spring, y, suitably adj usted, or by other mechanical means which readily suggest themselves to produce a like result.

The operation of this machine is as follows: Supposing the various parts to be in their normal or inactive position, the operator, having adjusted the upper a upon the last C, secures the latter to the jack B, while the toe of the last rests upon the rubber cushion K. The heel bed-piece G is now moved up, and with it the clamping-plate ci, `until the latter tightly and firmly presses the upper against the last. Similarly the plates c c are moved up and grasp the sides of the upper, pressing it against the last, this movement being accomplished by and through the bed-pieces E F, with their straps r r and friction-pulleys, as before described. The upper now being firmly grasped and temporarily made fast to thelast by the clamping-plates, all strains are by this pressure prevented from being transmitted throughout said upper, and the latter is now ready for the lasting operation. The levers H H are now grasped by the operator and thrust in a direction parallel with the length of thelast toward the toe. This movement throws the tails of the cams or levers 11 i,which swing upon the pivots t t, away from the last, and presses the active portion of said cams against the outer edges of the lasting-plates e c,which, by means ofthe slots g g and guideserewsff, moving therein, compel said plates to move forward toward the last. As this movement advances 'the plates e e equally, said plates meet the projecting edge of the upper at about the same time. As the plates continue to advance, the lasting process is gradually accomplished until the entire projecting edges of the upper are brought into close contact with the last. The side portions of the lasting process having been completed, the operator now grasps simultaneously the end levers, .I J, and presses them toward each other. This action by and through the rods 19 p compels a forward movement of the pieces Z Z, composing the lasting-plates I I, upon studs u u, which move in the slots o o, e. ,while the guide- IOO IIO

pins m m, &c., prevent spreading of the individual pieces until the propermoment; hence the lasting process commences upon the eX- treme end of the toe and heel, the pieces Z Z' remaining fixed relatively to each other until the studs a a have reached a point where the slot changesits direction. Atthesame timethe position of the guide-pins permits the spreading of the rear portion and consequent closing of the front portion of the plates over upon the last, this being attendant upon the movement of the slots o 0 upon the studs u u, the plates l Z swinging upon their pivots a a. The result of this movement is that the upper is drawn or lasted over the extremity of the toe rst, and immediately following this action the lasting-piates begin to close or contract, producing a wiping or drawing motion which is conducive to a proper disposition ofthe folds or fullness at the heel and toe. It is necessary, in order to properly complete this portion of the process, that the pull of the upper over upon the last should be at right angles to the surface of the last, where said strain occurs7 and it is for this reason that I have arranged the action of the plates as herein described. The plates I I having been moved inward until the studs have reached the outer end of the slots o o, the stroke is then completed and the levers reversed, when the entire operation of lasting is effectually accomplished and the last and upper removed.

I clain1- 1. In a lasting-machine, the combination of clamping-plates arranged to hold the upper to the last prior Ato the operation of lasting,with the lasting-plates having motion independent of the motion of said clampingplates, the cams or cam-shaped arms i z', linked to said lastingplates, and the bars or levers H, each of which is connected to two of said cams ,i i, substantially as set forth.

2. In alastingmachine, the combinatiomwith the fixed plate D,cushion K, and asupport for said cushion,of the movable bin ding-plates c c c,their supports and the sliding plates E F G, whereby suitable movement is effected in advancing or retracting the binding-plates with reference to the last C and its upper a, as and for purposes herein set forth and described.

3. In a lasting-machine, the combination of the movable pieces E F, carrying the clamping-plates c c,for purposes described,with the slotted lasting-plates e e, actuated by the levers H H, cams z' z", pivots t t j j, and links 7c 7c 7c k', by which proper reciprocating movement of said plates e e is effected, substantially as set forth.

.4. In a lasting-machine, the combination of a toe portion with its rubber cushion K, the movable heel portion G, its guides q g, the vertically-adjustable standards b, the lastingplates adapted to move thereon,and the pieces Z Z, arranged and actuated as herein described, substantially as explained.

5. In a lasting-machine, the combination,

with a plate upon which they rest, of the' hinged lasting-plates provided with slots o o and studs u u, adapted to move therein, by which a convergent wiping movement upon the last is produced, the guide-pins m m, and actuating-rods p p,with their operating mechanism, as and for purposes herein set forth and described.

6. In a lasting-machine,the bed A, movable plate F, and interposed spring y, in combination with strap r, attached to said plate, the guides q, in which said plate moves,the stand Iards b, vertically'adjustable, raised on said plate, and a clamping-plate and lasting-plate supported on said standard, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY AUGUSTUS SMITH. Vitnesses:

H. E. Lonen, A. F. HAYDnN. 

